Project Summary: The University of Rochester Child Neurology Career Development Program will provide formal program- based career development support for promising junior faculty in child neurology. Our aims are: 1) to give junior faculty in this program the opportunity to transition from mentored trainees to independent investigators in clinical and/or basic neurobiology research; 2) to foster thinking skills and a knowledge base that will allow supported candidates to apply basic neurobiological principles to achieve a mechanistic understanding of disease so they can translate them into therapeutic and diagnostic options for disorders of the developing nervous system; 3) to foster the academic careers of these junior faculty by providing the guidance and framework necessary for the conduct of scientifically sound, ethical, and clinically relevant research in neurobiology with the mentoring necessary for long-term decision-making and career planning as future leaders in academic child neurology. These goals will be achieved during a 3-year program that provides the candidates with the necessary skills to formulate a research plan relevant to disease and design an implementation strategy under the guidance of faculty who have demonstrated research success and mentoring excellence. All supported candidates will participate in formal training in research ethics, career development, grant writing, and scientific communication. The goal is to provide the supported junior faculty members with the skills necessary to establish a research career in neurological science and to move toward independent funding as an investigator with the promise of vigorous professional growth. Support is sought for 3 positions, each for a three year period of support. Training facilities include: laboratories in the departments of Neurology, Pediatrics, Neurobiology & Anatomy, Physiology & Pharmacology, Brain & Cognitive Sciences, and the Center for Neural Development and Disease. The program will take full advantage of the resources and career development infrastructure of the UR Clinical and Translational Research Institute, including access to biostatistical, epidemiologic, and clinical research expertise and cutting-edge novel technologies developed in both academic and industry incubator settings. Public Health Relevance: It is increasingly difficult to attract, foster, and maintain a cadre of child neurologists whose interests are in the development of a translational body of knowledge and the dialogue between the laboratory bench and the clinic. This program will support the career development of talented individuals dedicated to academic research careers researchers at the interface between neurological sciences and child neurology.